"But the near-term goal, bloodless blood-glucose monitoring, is likely out of reach."

IEEE Spectrum
March 7, 2012

Drawing blood is a daily reality for most people with diabetes. And while checking glucose levels probably isn’t the worst part of the disease, it’s such a pervasive nuisance that someone from nearly every scientific discipline has tried to invent a better way to do it. They’ve pasted transdermal patches to the skin and shone near-infrared light through the earlobes, but still nothing can beat the accuracy of a little drop of blood. 


Evidently, the quest for a better way is not over. Last month, engineers came up with new artillery—a plasmonic interferometer that can detect very low concentrations of glucose in water and, with some reengineering, may also work with saliva. If things go as hoped, people with diabetes will one day measure glucose levels by spitting instead of sticking.


For the full story, please go to:
http://spectrum.ieee.org/biomedical/diagnostics/plasmonics-promises-better-biosensors


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